


Déjà Vu

by bookswithjackie



Category: Purple Hyacinth - Ephemerys & Sophism (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I can't help it, Lauren becomes a suspect, Light Angst, Romance, floof happened lol, it was supposed to be more angsty but... yeah, takes place after Sake's death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:01:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27994947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookswithjackie/pseuds/bookswithjackie
Summary: Déjà Vu (n.) - a feeling of having already experienced the present situation.Confide in each other. Live with no regrets. Because tomorrow is never promised.
Relationships: Lauren Sinclair/Kieran White
Comments: 14
Kudos: 71





	Déjà Vu

_I can’t do this_. Another minute in this _fucking_ room and she would definitely go mad. Her mind wildly raced with thoughts that haunted her like a fever dream, making it _that_ _much more difficult_ for her to concentrate on the task at hand. Kym had _begged_ to come into the room earlier after noticing that something was off with Lauren. If it weren’t for Kym, she would have lost it already. 

_Lauren, FOCUS. You’re not helping your situation here._

_Badump..._

  
  
  
  


_Badump..._

  
  
  
  


_Badump..._

She felt like she was drowning in her own heartbeat. The stillness of the bitter cold atmosphere did not help with her current situation either. She felt suffocated. The room was rather small with bleak, barren white walls that coated all four sides. A rectangular table occupied the middle of the room, where Hermann and March sat as they interrogated Lauren. The only light source in this room was the flickering lightbulb that dangled mockingly above the trio’s heads. It was _chilling_. _Terrifying_. _Mind-numbing—_ to be sitting in here.

_Lauren, you can do this. You’ve been through interrogations like this a hundred times over. This shouldn’t be any different._

Only it _was_ different. _She_ was the one being interrogated now, sitting on the side of the table that was technically reserved for people who broke the law. For criminals. For _murderers_.

  
  


_For monsters._

  
  


That was simply how the law worked. And the citizens of Ardhalis had to abide by those laws. 

_But I KNOW I’m innocent. Just answer the questions calmly and—_

“Lauren Sinclair!” 

She jumped, head snapping up so quickly that it made her vision blurry for a few seconds. Her blood ran cold, hands clammy. Golden eyes transfixed with horror as her chest grew so tight it became hard to breathe. It took her a few moments to realize that it was Hermann who’d raised his voice at her, seeming to have quickly lost his patience. 

“Y-yes?” Lauren said in a suffocated whisper. 

March sighed. “Lauren, I really need you to work with me here. We’re trying to help you.”

“I- I know. I’m very sorry.” She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down. _Damn it, Lauren. Get a fucking grip already_. 

But it was only getting worse. She felt herself fading away.

_Kieran..._

  
  
  
  
  


_I need you..._

  
  
  
  
  


_Please help me..._

  
  
  
  
  


And then all she saw was darkness.

* * *

“Lauren is being _WHAT_ now?!” Kieran quickly made a move towards the door, a hand already on the doorknob. 

“Kieran, wait! Listen— “

“I need to see her _NOW_. Kym, I’ll have to kindly ask you to move— “

“This is _exactly_ why Will told me not to tell you. He knew you would react like this and try to stop it. But I _had_ to let you know because she’s not doing so well right now.” Kym quickly tried to explain, light brown eyes glinted with worry. “I met her for a bit... and I watched the interrogation cams afterwards as well.” 

Kym had blatantly ignored her Lieutenant’s orders to not let Kieran know that Lauren was being interrogated, swiftly rushing out of the cams room and into the archives. She’d sighed a sigh of relief when she saw that he was working today. She was _not_ oblivious to Lauren and Kieran’s relationship, or lack thereof. They had claimed that they were “dating,” but Kym knew better. She also knew that they were Lune and that Kieran was indeed, the PH, the moment she saw Lauren’s reaction to Kieran being the new archivist at the precinct. This explained their _nightly excursions_. 

It just made sense. Everything started to connect together. She played along with them— for now, at least— because she knew that there must’ve been a good reason for Lauren to team up with _THE_ Purple Hyacinth himself. She knew that Lauren would tell her when the time was right. Her ability to be flawlessly perceptive allowed her to see through the alibis that Lune had come up with. Whenever they were together there was always this spark... a spark that even Kieran and Lauren hadn’t been able to realize.

_They care for each other. Maybe even love each other. Despite everything else_. 

Maybe they did hate each other’s guts at the beginning, but somewhere down that line they’d begun to develop feelings that went beyond their contract. And that was enough for Kym to go seek for his help.

“I just wanted to let you know what happened before you storm into the interrogation room like a madman.” 

Wasting absolutely no time at all, they rushed out of the archives. Kieran nearly sprinted down the hall, but he managed to keep himself calm. He had to... for Lauren’s sake.

* * *

_Lauren... Lauren... Lauren!_

  
  


_Wake up!_

  
  


“Lauren! Can you hear me?”

She slowly opened her eyes, long lashes faintly batting against her lids when she blinked to adjust to the light. _What happened? Did I pass out...?_

It took her a moment to realize that she was on the floor, Will and March looming over her with much concern in their eyes.

Will spoke first. “Are you okay? What happened back there?”

“I’m not sure...” Lauren said, voice raspy from her incident earlier. “Something came over me and— I think the questions just got too much...”

Her eyes scanned the room. “Where’s Hermann? Did he leave?”

“He left not too long ago. Said that your interrogation will be postponed.” March replied.

Lauren nodded, eyes casting downwards. 

All of a sudden, the doors opened swiftly, making a loud _BANG_ against the wall. Everything that Kym had told him beforehand went flying out the windows. Everyone flinched as they turned their heads towards the noise. 

Lauren’s eyes widened, hazy golden amber orbs returning to its bewitching hue. 

“Kieran...” She muttered. Surprise, then disbelief, crossed her features. _How did he…?_

Ignoring the other’s company in the room, it only took him a few large strides to make it over to her, immediately engulfing her small frame with his strong arms. Using all of the strength that she had left, she lifted her arms and returned the gesture as relief flooded through her body almost instantly. She finally let out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding.

Kieran moved his arm up and down as he comforted her. “I’m here. You’re okay. I got you.” He whispered in her ears. They hadn’t even realized that everyone else had already left the room, giving them some privacy. 

He felt his shirt getting wet. “Hey, hey... you’re strong, Lauren. I know you are.” Without giving her any warning, he swooped down and gave her a chaste, reassuring kiss on the forehead. It was brief, but it was enough to ease the built-up tension in her body. He was always so observant when it came to Lauren. “I’ll take you home. C’mon— “ 

“No!” Lauren squeezed him tighter. She seemed so _small_. _So vulnerable_. “I don’t want to go home. My uncle’s home right now and... I don’t have the courage to face him.”

Kieran pondered in silence for a few moments.

“Would you prefer I take you to my apartment instead?” He asked, hoping that his choice of words was appropriate.

“Yes... please. If you don’t mind.” 

“Of course, I don’t mind. That’s why I offered,” he deadpanned, a weak attempt to humor her.

And that earned him a punch on the arm. 

* * *

It felt like déjà vu.

Standing in front of Kieran’s apartment took her back to when he carried her after she fell from Flemmings’s window. She remembered the number 16 very clearly... and if someone asked her why she remembered that, she wouldn’t know how to answer them.

It was snowing tonight in Ardhalis. She took a moment to bask in the serene weather. The light flurries that descended from the sky made her feel at peace. The warm, soft glow emitting from the lampposts reflected onto the thin blanket of snow that had started to form on the railings of Kieran’s house. She absolutely adored the winters in Ardhalis.

The jingle of keys brought her back from her thoughts, door opening not too long after.

“Come on in! Your lips are already turning purple.” Kieran said, gesturing at the entryway.

Once inside, Lauren immediately walked towards the couch, her knees nearly buckling on her way. She was so tired, weary with the burden of long-closed eyes. It had been a strenuous day after all. She pulled her knees up to her chest, forehead resting on them. She felt the couch dip slightly when Kieran sat down next to her.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I...” Lauren hesitated, biting down on her lips. “It didn’t have anything to do with you.” 

“You know that’s bullshit, Lauren. When you _don’t_ tell me things, it makes me more worried.” Having nothing to say about that, Lauren turned her head so that the side of her face now rested on her knees, facing away from Kieran. This made him immediately regret what he said, sensing that his words might’ve came out a little too harsh. 

Furrowed brows disappeared and teal eyes softened as he looked at Lauren. Without giving her any warning, he circled his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap. 

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!” Lauren yelped, trying to break out of his hold. After several unsuccessful attempts, she gave in, allowing the warmth radiating from his body to soothe her. 

Lauren let out an exasperated sigh. “I didn’t tell you because I knew I had to do this interrogation. There was no escaping it. It’s part of the process. I’m... very high on the suspects list and the only way for me to prove my innocence is for me to go through with it.” She raised her head, turning to look at him. “Knowing you, you would’ve tried to talk to Hermann or March to get me out of it... but doing that would only raise unnecessary suspicions towards you. I didn’t want that.” 

Kieran’s heart tugged painfully in his chest. _Always so selfless_. _What did I do to deserve her? Absolutely NOTHING. Hell, I shouldn't even be anywhere near her right now._

She had a heart of gold. He wouldn’t want to taint that with his bloody, _murderous_ hands.

“You’re so stupid,” he chided. “If one of us goes down, the other one will too and that’ll be the end of Lune. The end for _us_. You know that.”

A small smile graced her lips, releasing a soft chuckle. “Yeah. You’re right. I was being so silly in the interrogation room...”

“Don’t even start that with me.” He snapped. “That was something way out of your control. Stop blaming yourself. And next time... don’t leave me in the dark. I thought we’ve talked about this before.”

Kieran shook his head. “Are you that dense? Had I not made myself clear enough? To put it simply Lauren, I care about you, okay? I— “ 

_I love you. So much that it haunts me every night because I’m afraid that you might just disappear and leave me one day. I don’t ever want to go through that pain again._

Those words were left unsaid. He didn’t want to push his feelings onto her. It wasn’t the right time. Lauren had already had a rough day and these words would only make him seem selfish. He didn’t want to be a burden. 

“Anyway,” He cleared his throat as he released his hold on her, quietly hoping that she didn’t catch his _almost_ slip-up. “You need to rest. You can take the bed. I’ll stay on the cou— “ 

“ _No_. Stay with me. Please.” Lauren said, with absolutely no hesitation in her voice. 

Kieran raised a dark eyebrow. “No listen, Lauren, I really don’t think that’s— “

“Don’t argue with me right now, _subordinate_. I’m too tired for that. C’mon, it’s getting late.” Lauren stood and made her way towards his bedroom, footsteps falling lightly on the wooden floor.

He let out an inaudible sigh, getting up and following her not too long after. 

_Always so stubborn_. 

* * *

They spent that night wrapped up in each other’s arms. It has been a while since she felt this safe and content. _If only this moment could last forever... but she knew that was too much to ask for._

Their relationship was... _interesting,_ to say the least, and Lauren wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. She was not someone who believed in “fate,” but there were moments with Kieran that made her want to. Despite the pain that he had caused her, she just couldn’t let him go. Because for the very first time, she had finally met someone who was just as broken as her, maybe even more broken. It made her feel… less alone. They had been dealt with very different hands in life, but somehow, they were able to find comfort in each other and she was okay with that. Their relationship started with a deal and now it has bloomed into something so much more. She had people tell her that she lacked the appreciation and gratitude towards the little things in life. How could anyone blame her, though? The world was cruel and it stripped her of her happiness.

But that opened her eyes to what really mattered. It made her realize how every moment should be cherished because no one was guaranteed a tomorrow. _How could she have been so BLIND?_ Kieran had always been there for her. He had seen her at her worst, been kicked by her in the stomach multiple times, yelled at for being the biggest idiot with the biggest ego in the world and… despite all of that, he still chose to stay by her side.

She opened her eyes, finding herself not able to sleep from her racing thoughts, and was immediately greeted by the sight of Kieran sleeping. _I’ve never seen him look so at peace before..._ The strands of dark hair that managed to escape his bun slightly covered his face. He had prominent cheekbones and a well-defined chin and nose. His closed lids hid beautiful, teal orbs that rendered her speechless every time she looked at them. For someone who had been through hell and back, his eyes gleamed with so much life. _A handsome paradox, indeed._

Bringing a hand up from under the covers, she placed them on his cheek lightly, afraid of waking him up. _You’ve suffered enough, Kieran. I think it’s about time you forgive yourself..._

_You’re not a monster._

She stared at him lovingly, golden eyes filled with a gentleness that glinted under the rays of the pale moonlight lighting his room.

_Maybe one day... she will have the courage to tell him how she really felt._

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a messy writer... Can you guys tell from my writing? LOL. 
> 
> Anyway, the first half of this story (Lauren's interrogation) was not my idea. Someone from my one of my group chats came up with it (you know who you are) and I just HAD to write it out ((Thank you for letting me use it!))
> 
> ALSO- THANK YOU ELLE (pidgeonsatdawn) FOR PROOF-READING EVERYTHING ADSJKJGJFGFJK :'))


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